
Font Distribution For Creative Teams: The Piece That Makes Creative Operations Click
The Benefits Of Font Distribution For Creative Teams
One of the most important aspects of font management in creative operations is font distribution. Font distribution is the practice of getting fonts to individuals and teams who require access for all types of creative projects. In today's fast-paced creative environments, where branding and visual identity are paramount, effective font management is essential. Proper font distribution not only streamlines the design process but also enhances collaboration within creative teams.
Here, we explore the multifaceted benefits of font distribution, focusing on internal sharing through font management tools, time-saving advantages for designers, creative support, and the positive impact on IT departments.
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How Teams Access Fonts Without Font Distribution
Before we outline these benefits, it’s important to understand what font distribution even looks like without effective font management. Typically, individual creatives have two options to get the fonts they need without a font manager: IT distribution and designer procurement.
IT Manual Distribution
Fonts function like software, making IT the logical choice to manage font distribution. With expertise in software End User License Agreements, IT professionals are well-equipped to ensure proper adherence to font distribution rights and protocols. In a traditional in-office environment, a creative contributor may drop off their device with IT to get the necessary fonts installed. In remote instances, an IT team member may need to take control of a creative team member’s device remotely to install necessary fonts.
As you can imagine, this can become very inefficient and time-consuming for both parties. In fact, for teams handling a high volume of fonts, it can be downright unbearable.
Designer Procurement
In other workflows, it’s not uncommon for designers to be responsible for attaining required fonts. Some designers may even prefer this for projects where it’s up to them to ideate and select final fonts for a project. However, even when clear directions are provided regarding which licenses to purchase for which fonts, confusion (and errors) can easily ensue. Many fonts have multiple versions available with nearly identical names, plus nuanced licensing types. While designer procurement may be slightly more time-efficient, it opens the door to licensing issues – and can still prove to be very time-consuming for designers.
Both of these approaches have severe shortcomings that put your team at risk. Inefficient font procurement, costly rework when the wrong fonts are used, issues with font distribution rights within teams, and legal issues surrounding font licensing are major threats to any team’s success. Cloud-based font distribution is an increasingly popular alternative to these approaches. Permissions, organization, and clear processes make font distribution a simple line to cross in a process checklist.
Benefits For IT
Lockdowns Make Workflows Safer: How Administrators and IT Can Secure Font Distribution
While manual font distribution can feel burdensome for IT specialists, the truth is that IT is uniquely qualified to determine how fonts should be distributed from a practical standpoint. Entirely removing font distribution from the realm of IT can be a costly mistake. Instead, let’s look for ways to streamline and support IT in effectively distributing fonts, without this crucial element of font management snowballing into an all-consuming task.
By assigning permissions to teams, users, and libraries in font management tools, IT can set font distribution to cruise control. For example, folks using Okta for active directory services can sync Extensis Connect users and permissions within their Okta application. Administrators can also utilize global permissions to control third-party fonts that employees might use to limit risks and versioning issues.
Locking down permissions stops fonts from entering workflows through risky routes such as Slack attachments and USB drives. Permissions strengthen font management systems. While we use the term “library” for most groupings in font collections, the overall effect is more of a fortress, within which various libraries can be accessed. You want that fortress to be as secure and orderly as possible — not just for defense purposes, but also efficiency.
While font distribution is crucial within creative teams, there are times that administrators will also need to externally distribute fonts for use by a freelancer or print team.
Fonts which are purchased for a certain number of users typically cannot be distributed to external third parties, according to Greg Mitchell, CEO and Founder of FontShield. That's why it’s important to check EULAs before distributing fonts. In many cases, the appropriate option may be to simply direct third parties to purchase appropriate licensing for themselves and reimburse them.
Streamlined Management and Security
- Centralized Control: IT can oversee font libraries to ensure that only licensed fonts are used, which reduces legal risks associated with font misuse.
- Enhanced Security: By managing font access through a centralized system, IT can better protect sensitive design assets and prevent unauthorized use of proprietary fonts.
- Resource Optimization: With a streamlined font management system, IT departments can reduce the time spent on troubleshooting font-related issues, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Benefits For Designers And Other Creatives
Empowering Individual Contributors And Collaborators
Creative professionals need structure to enable their talents and expertise to shine. They can spin a creative brief into straw, and straw into gold. But if the gold is due in 12 hours and no one knows where the spinning wheel is, creativity alone isn’t enough to ensure its delivery.
The greatest challenges facing designers and other creative contributors are arguably time and prioritization. Deadlines loom large. Multiple projects (and revisions of those projects) compete for time and attention. Therefore, font management tools must support these team members by helping reduce busy work and clarifying precisely which fonts should be used in which instances.
Creative teams are often very fluid. Some teammates will need to switch projects before go-live to meet other deadlines. Others will need to jump in to help their coworkers meet tight deadlines. Freelancers also need to be able to seamlessly move in and out of workflows for creative agencies, brands, and print, production, and packaging teams.
Effective font distribution makes it easy for your tools to keep up with the rapid-fire flexibility. Freelancers can become part of the team as needed, and then have permissions changed when contracts come to an end. Teams can be reorganized for font libraries and libraries on the fly. Everyone always has what they need.
Time-Saving Benefits For Designers:
Streamlined Workflow
Designers often spend valuable time searching for and managing fonts. By implementing effective font distribution strategies, creative teams can enjoy significant time savings:
- Quick Access to Fonts: With all necessary fonts readily available, designers can focus on creativity rather than administrative tasks.
- Reduced Version Control Issues: Consistent font distribution minimizes discrepancies between team members’ designs, preventing time wasted on correcting mismatched typography.
- Enhanced Focus on Design: When designers spend less time dealing with font-related challenges, they can devote more energy to ideation and execution, leading to higher-quality outcomes.
Benefits For Project Management And Workflow
Clarity Around Access and Expectations
Modern font management tools allow administrators to easily distribute fonts across teams, ensuring that every designer has access to the necessary typefaces for their projects. By centralizing font libraries, these tools enable:
- Consistent Access: Team members can access the latest versions of fonts without worrying about outdated or missing files.
- Seamless Updates: When a font is updated or a new one is added, administrators can push these changes to all users, maintaining uniformity in design outputs.
- Organization: Fonts can be categorized by project, client, or design guidelines, making it easier for designers to find the right typeface quickly. This internal sharing fosters collaboration, allowing teams to work together efficiently without the hassle of font-related issues. Administrators don’t need the tech-savvy oversight IT provides, either – it’s simple to organize users into groups for projects and assign fonts as needed.
Font distribution makes it clear exactly which fonts should be used in any given project, and ensures that this font is accessible and activated. This is especially beneficial at scale. For example, creative agencies will provide multiple projects to multiple clients, at multiple points in time. There are slight nuances between different font versions (which may even have the same name), and it’s crucial that the appropriate font is used in design. It’s also critical in these instances that the correct font licensing is applied on the client’s behalf, and that the brand client also holds these same licenses.
Safeguards For Font Distribution: Project Reviews and Audits
Even with the most efficient font permissions and processes, some font issues can slip through the cracks. This is why creative teams of all sizes conduct project reviews before a launch – a.k.a. an audit or a licensing check, which means a critical review of the creative project to cross the T’s and dot the I’s.
A project review will check and verify that each element in the project has the correct usage terms. This task ranges from being as straightforward as logo usage (“We use the white logo instead of the black when there’s a dark background”) to being as nuanced as checking licenses for fonts and stock images.
Vetting font licenses can be incredibly time-consuming, and since EULA language may not always be clear, manual project reviews may not be effective.
With Connect + Insight, users can run Project Risk Scanning against their collection of font invoices to identify licensing discrepancies and get resolution recommendations — all in seconds. These reports can then be assigned and distributed to team members, who will know exactly which steps to take before the project is re-submitted for review.
Effective font distribution is a cornerstone of successful creative teams. By leveraging font management tools for internal sharing, designers can save time, enhance their creative output, and collaborate more effectively. Moreover, IT departments benefit from streamlined management and improved security.
Emphasizing a systematic approach to font distribution not only fosters creativity and collaboration but also aligns the entire team and helps them achieve their goals more efficiently. Investing in font management is an investment in the future success of creative projects, making it an essential consideration for any organization looking to enhance its design capabilities.
Would you like to learn more about distributing fonts? No matter what size your team is, we’re confident Extensis Connect and Connect + Insight can improve your font distribution process. Take our tour to see just how straightforward font distribution can be.